Method and apparatus for producing temperature-controlled milk foam and/or milk

Abstract

A method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk includes providing at least one container for storing milk to be foamed, providing a fluid and a fluid line, conveying, by a pump, a predefinable amount of the milk to be foamed through a line system, which includes a milk intake line, between the at least one container and the pump, and an outlet line, between the pump and at least one outlet, potentially supplying air into the milk intake line via an air-flow regulator, which can be arranged in an air-supply line, in order to produce a milk/air mixture upstream of the pump, conveying the milk/air mixture or the milk through a heating element, producing a milk foam from the milk/air mixture by a throttle device; and dispensing the milk foam or milk at the at least one outlet. An apparatus is also provided.

1 . A method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot ilk foam and/or milk, the method comprising the following steps:
 providing at least one container for storing milk to be foamed;   providing a fluid and a fluid line;   conveying, by means of a pump, a predefinable amount of the milk to be foamed through a line system, which comprises a milk intake line, between the at least one container and the pump, between the pump, between the pump and at least one outlet;   producing a milk/air mixture upstream of the pump   conveying the milk/air mixture or the milk through a heating element, which is designed as a flow heater and is arranged in the outlet line and is in the form of a thick-film heating element;   producing a milk foam from the milk/air mixture by means of a throttle device; and dispensing the milk foam or milk at the at least one outlet,   wherein the thick-film heating element is permanently heated to a predefinable temperature, and after each action of dispensing of the milk foam or the milk, fluid is applied to the line system at least in part.   
     
     
         2 . The method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 1 , wherein before a dispensing of milk foam or milk at the outlet the fluid is conveyed out of the line system via a manifold valve. 
     
     
         3 . The method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 1 , wherein the fluid is water. 
     
     
         4 . The method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 1 , wherein the thick-film heating element is permanently heated to a temperature between 60° C. and 70° C. 
     
     
         5 . The method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 4 , wherein for producing hot milk foam and/or milk the temperature of the thick-film heating element is increased by about 4° C. to 7° C. 
     
     
         6 . The method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 1 , wherein for producing cold milk foam and/or cold milk the line system and the thick-film heating element is rinsed with a feedable fluid, so that the thick-film heating element is cooled by the feedable fluid flowing through in a time period of >10 s to a temperature of ≤7° C. 
     
     
         7 . The method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 6 , wherein the feedable fluid has a temperature of ≤7° C. 
     
     
         8 . The method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and+/or milk according to  claim 7 , wherein the feedable fluid is cooled to the temperature ≤7° C. by means of a cooling unit designed as a latent heat accumulator with a phase-change material. 
     
     
         9 . The method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 1 , wherein a control unit controls the method according to an instruction generated by a user. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk The method, comprising
 at least one container in which milk to be foamed is stored,   a pump,   a line system, the line system comprising
 a milk intake line, via which the at least one container is connectible to the pump, and 
 an outlet line, via which the pump is connectible to at least one outlet, and 
 a fluid line, via which fluid is able to be applied to the line system, 
   an air-flow regulator, by means of which air is able to be conveyed in a metered way via an air-supply line at an inlet point into the milk intake line,   a heating element designed as a flow heater, which is arranged in the outlet line and designed as a thick-film heating element, and   a throttle device which is able to be arranged downstream of the pump in the outlet line.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 10 , wherein the thick-film heating element comprises an electrical resistor installed on a support and a fluid channel in contact with the heating element. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 10 , wherein the apparatus is arranged at least partially in a cooling system. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 10 , wherein a latent heat accumulator with a phase-change material is provided, which is arranged to cool the milk and/or fluid to a temperature ≤7° C. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 10 , wherein a conductance sensor is provided for determining a conductance of a medium in the line system. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 10 , wherein a manifold valve is provided in the outlet line, which connects the outlet line selectively to a drain for discharging the fluid, to a circuit line for conducting the fluid in the circuit or to at least one outlet at which milk foam or milk can be dispensed. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 10 , wherein a first non-return valve and a second non-return valve are arranged in the air-supply line in a vertical orientation and so that flow can pass through them from top to bottom, these being designed as directly closing non-return valves, and fluid can be introduced into the air-supply line between the first non-return valve and the second non-return valve via a valve R 2 . 
     
     
         17 . A method for selectively producing cold, warm or hot milk foam and/or milk according to  claim 1 , comprising supplying air into the milk intake line via an air-flow regulator to produce the milk/air mixture upstream of the pump.